Buffett's for Bartlett's

I like Warren Buffett's homespun thoughts on business and life. Makes me think I should start keeping track of the ones that I really like. Here are a couple that really stick in my craw, in a good way:

But it was a wise man who said, “All I want to know is where I’m going to die so I’ll never go there.”

-Warren Buffett, NYTimes.com, 2009-08-18

After all, you only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.

-Warren Buffett, Chairmens Letter 2002-02-28

Google Search Tools to Make Research Easier

Google has some really great features in their search engine that are frequently overlooked when doing research. Two of the most useful are site searching and "site:" and "define:"

1. Define: - Using "define:" is a very quick way to get common definitions for words without having to bare the clutter and adds of an online dictionary. For example using "define:PCI" returns "peripheral computer interface", "payment card industry", and picoCuries. This is helpful while exploring new areas and technologies. Or even using it for common words that I do not normally know. Like kafka-esque..

2. Site: - This is one of my favorites. It is often useful for searching sites for specific articles on certain topics. It is often more useful then using the site's native search itself. It is especially helpful if you are doing competitive intelligence. For example, if you are searching a competitors site for specific topic to see if they are using that same messaging you use "site:Message." For example, if I were to do a search on HP to see if they have OLED displays for their laptops, I would type "site:hp.com oled laptop". I also like to use them to find specific article formats. For example, all PowerPoint presentations "ppt" or "pdfs" containing keywords on the site.

Use them wisely. They will save you time and give you better search results!

"Did a single broker ever complain to a media outlet that reporters were being "too optimistic" about house prices...?"

My mother recently gave me a hard time for not warning her about the impending doom in the markets. I do remember questioning, gently, at the time about investing in real estate as she considered a vacation home. My major gripe was that even being in the upper-half on the income spectrum, I could not afford a home in most of the cities that I have worked. This article draws a connection between the rise and incomes and the rise in home prices. It also figures that we are not at the bottom. This is good analysis! Perhaps my predictions of the Journals quality death were premature...

Aw Snap!

I got this "Aw Snap!" error when I load Google's Chrome browser. I have been running Chrome since it was released. This link had a remedy for the problem. It's possible that something my employeer loaded on my computer that broke it. 

However, I have been having really flaky performance from Chrome at home and at work ever since I installed the "local" email and did the multi-panes of inboxes. It has been a real pain. For the first time, I have been feeling let down by Gmail. I have also noticed a bunch of people switching back to Yahoo mail recently... That could be the power of suggestion though.

Relationship Between Budgeting and Health

The more I spend eating out, the less healthy I eat. When I go to the grocery store I do not purchase cookies and cheeseburgers. When I eat out, I inevitably will choose cookies with cheeseburgers.

The past few weeks have been a good time to apply some of my lessons from work to my personal life. I have been doing a little bit better job of cleaning up my Quicken data from 2008 so that I can do some analysis. Nothing too surprising. I did spend an appalling amount of money on dining out. I bought my lunch at work almost every day. That is a big factor. All that money would be fine, but I think a lot of the food that I eat out is pizza and burritos, like most people. I don't think that is very healthy.

In 2009, I am going to spend a lot more time grocery shopping and then cooking. As you can see from the graph, I could probably spend $1000 more on grocers and $2000 less on eating out and eat much better. If I am still around in 2009, I'll post an update.

Buying the Market

John Bogle, founder of Vanguard, has a prescriptive post on the WSJ.com website. I think it is pretty cut and dry and I like his advice. Although, I think he can be a little windy in the interviews I have heard with him.

It is interesting his point about buying the market. If you look at Vanguard's Total Market ETF, it has outperformed the S&P500 significantly over the past 8 years.

Rent vs Buy Calculator

This Rent vs. Buy calculator on the NYTimes.com website is one of the best financial tools around. It even has an advanced tab on the right hand side that let's you calculate all of those second order things that affect the ROI. Check it out..